The scene shifts back a little.
The location is the principal's office of the Royal Pioneer Academy.
Ever since the school opened, a dark and gloomy mood had hung over the room, but today it was filled with laughter.
Slave Tickets were scattered across the floor like flower petals in a field, and the principal and vice-principal sat among them, laughing heartily.
"Gahaha! The students used tickets like water! Thanks to that, we made a huge profit!"
"Yes! Now almost all the students are completely under our control!"
But suddenly they came back to their senses and slumped their shoulders.
"However… we still couldn't get our hands on Monaka-kun's and Kotone-kun's tickets…"
"Yes, that's right… Our real goal was to keep those two away from that filthy garbage…"
The principal and vice-principal had repeatedly brought products that they thought Monaka and Kotone would like and tried to get them to buy them.
However, the two girls' responses had always been the same.
"I'm sorry, Teacher. I already have a use planned for my tickets. It's for Le…"
Monaka started to say "Leo-kun" but quickly shut her mouth.
She had learned that mentioning Leopin's name made the vice-principal go berserk.
While Monaka gently refused, Kotone was firm.
"I am terribly sorry. All of my tickets are intended as tuition for Master.
I offered to pay everything in advance, but he refused, so I am simply keeping them for now."
Remembering that moment, the principal stood up so furiously that his boiling anger seemed ready to explode.
He stomped on the tickets at his feet in frustration.
"These! These! No matter how many of these worthless tickets we collect, they're completely useless!"
"No, no! Principal, please stop! Even so, thanks to the school store, we were able to restore the residential district from the disaster!"
"What does that matter!? We only turned a huge loss back into a regular loss!
Besides, bringing in outside professionals is something that would never happen at other pioneer academies!"
Unlike other pioneer academies, the Royal Pioneer Academy had many students from prestigious families, sons and daughters of nobles.
In other words, it was full of elites, and the school had opened with great fanfare and high expectations.
But when the lid was opened, they couldn't even properly build the residential district.
The principal's and vice-principal's leadership abilities were constantly being questioned.
The principal, still furious, turned his anger on the vice-principal.
"And what happened with the prize award!?
The supporters are now demanding we return the prize money!"
"Yes! I have a plan for that!
I found a class that that garbage could never keep up with!
We will award the first prize in that class!"
"What!? We already failed in physical education and production classes!
What kind of class is it that even that garbage cannot follow!?"
"Yes! It is the 'Tamer' class!
If the opponents are animals, that garbage will be completely helpless!"
"Ohh, I see! There is no way that garbage, who is hated by the students, could ever be liked by animals!"
A knock interrupted them.
"Who is it!?" the principal shouted. The ornately decorated door opened with a click.
"Excuse me. Principal, Vice-Principal."
"Oh, it's Weiss-kun! What do you want!?"
"Are you still holding a grudge from the other day!?"
"No. I was passing by the hallway and overheard what sounded like an enjoyable conversation…
Please let me help with that plan.
If you leave it to this sage, I will drive that garbage to voluntarily withdraw from the academy."
"What, voluntary withdrawal!? That would be perfect! Do you have a good idea!?"
"Yes. I keep a 'Black Panther' at my family home.
I will have it sent from home and then set it on that garbage during the Tamer class…!"
In pioneer academies, there was a rule that parents were not allowed to provide support.
They were also not allowed to be listed as supporters.
Therefore, Weiss's proposal was a clear violation of the rules.
Normally, the principal and vice-principal should have scolded him, but…
Both of them exclaimed ""Oh… I see!!"" in admiration.
Weiss's eyes gleamed behind his glasses as if to say "Got them."
"Then I will send a message to my father and have the Black Panther prepared.
If I tell him it is to help me make a comeback, Father will cooperate.
Could you two receive it through a secret route so it doesn't get discovered and hide it somewhere?"
"Umu, in that case there is an absolutely undetectable secret route!"
"Yes! After we receive it, we can claim it is a teaching pet and hide it in the Tamer classroom!"
"Ohh, hiding a tree in the forest!
It is a flawless, perfect plan with no gaps!
All right, Weiss-kun, if this succeeds, I will restore you to your original rank!"
"Please do. If the wisdom of this sage is combined with your power…"
"This time, this time for sure…! This time that garbage will truly be finished…! Ihihihihi…!"
It goes without saying that this evil scheme would end in spectacular failure.
It was as inevitable as night following day.
However, dawn would never come for them.
The vice-principal, who had been forced to pay the full prize money out of his own pocket, returned to the principal's office with a sunken expression.
There, he found the principal writhing in his leather chair, clutching his head.
"Uwaaah!? A notice just arrived from the education committee!
I have been demoted by one rank!"
Principal Nekodran S+ → S
The vice-principal exaggeratedly exclaimed, "Ehh, what does that mean!?"
"The education committee found out about the smuggling of the Black Panther!
It was supposed to be an absolutely undetectable route—why!?
Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy~!!"
The principal was in complete confusion and kept banging his head against the desk.
"How pitiful," the vice-principal thought, barely suppressing a smile by pinching his own butt.
Yes, the vice-principal had noticed.
During the previous incident when only the vice-principal had been demoted, the principal had prioritized saving himself.
So this time, as payback, the vice-principal had secretly sent a message to the education committee the moment the plan was proposed.
'Principal and Weiss-kun are conspiring to smuggle a pet.
I opposed it, but they threatened that if I revealed it, they would make sure I could no longer stay at this academy!'
The vice-principal smirked.
—This way, if the plan succeeds, we can get rid of the garbage and I can get revenge on the principal.
Even if the plan fails, only the principal and Weiss-kun will take the blame.
No matter how it turns out, that bald fool will have to pay the price! Muhohohoho…!
And that evil scheme had perfectly backfired.
The principal noticed the vice-principal's relaxed cheeks and glared at him.
"Are you that happy about my demotion? But this is no time to be smiling.
Because we gave that garbage the prize money, the supporters are furious.
They say you must bear the full cost as the one responsible for handing it over.
If you don't, they will cut off all future support…!"
"Ky… kyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh!?!?"